UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Black sea bassShoulder seasonCape · Virginia
Bluff Point
37.67°N · 75.87°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 12 AM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 535 PM EDT
- Best window
- 5-7 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bluff Point scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 5 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
85Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
51Wind: 17 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
79Water temp: 75°F, warmLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.2 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
52Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Black sea bass is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with VMRC before you keep a fish.
Source: VMRC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Black sea bass is best here
Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Bluff Point
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing Bluff Point
Bluff Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, scup and spot. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, spot and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped bass and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October.
Tackle & technique
- Black sea bass
- Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
- Little tunny
- Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
- Scup
- Scup school over hard and mixed bottom, rock piles, mussel beds, piers and jetties, usually in 10 to 60 feet of water. Fish a high-low rig with small hooks and squid or clam strips on the bottom, and chum with clam to hold a school under the boat. If nothing bites within 15 minutes, move to the next piece of structure.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Buckland Gut67
Gut · 1.4 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 67
- Spot 67
- Sheepshead 63
17 kt NEH 9:17 PM · 2.0 ftL 3:51 AM · 0.7 ft
- Warehouse Point66
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 66
- Scup 62
- Spot 61
17 kt NEH 9:17 PM · 2.0 ftL 3:51 AM · 0.7 ft
- West Point65
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 65
- Scup 60
- Spot 59
17 kt NEH 9:17 PM · 2.0 ftL 3:51 AM · 0.7 ft
- Coffin Point65
Cape · 2.8 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 65
- Scup 60
- Spot 59
17 kt NEH 9:17 PM · 2.0 ftL 3:51 AM · 0.7 ft
Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with VMRC before you keep a fish.
